The Colors of White
by Micah Debrink
Summary: A Pokémon Adventures fic. Just a few months have passed since the last Pokémon league. Black and Cheren have gone their separate ways, and Bianca is the only one still living in Nuvema Town. Bianca and Cheren are dating. But Bianca has a new career…and she's changed a bit. Anti-DualRivalShipping, if you will. Rated M for language and sexual content.


(Yep, that's right, after over a year-long hiatus…I'm back! Hope you enjoy this Pokémon Adventures one-shot. Stay tuned for more fics coming up soon…hopefully!)

* * *

 **The Colors of White**

Bianca was a musician.

It was a part time job. For now. But the money she earned from her guitar was now far more than the small stipend she earned at Professor Juniper's lab. She had become closer to White. White had contacts with many people in showbiz. Bianca played the instrumental to a few soap operas, and received wonderful praise from producers.

Bianca had become a frequent visitor to the Café Sonata. She did regular performances there. Every Friday afternoon after her work at Professor Juniper's lab, she would take the ferry from Nuvema Town to Castelia City, stay for the weekend, and return by daybreak Monday morning via the overnight boat.

She started with the acoustic guitar, because that's what she learned with. But she soon learned that an electric guitar would be much more of a draw at the Café Sonata. So she bought one, and bought the sheet music that sounded good on an electric guitar.

And then on stage, she moved with the rhythm, just a little bit. She was shy about the headbanging at first. Each weekend, she told herself, "I'm going to whip my head a little bit more. And I'm gonna bend down a little bit more." And then after 10 weeks, she had her knees on the floor, she was whipping her head maniacally from left to right, she was belting out all the notes. And she didn't realize anything had changed.

Not only did she like to perform her music, but depending on her mood, she also liked to listen to the other artists perform their music and socialize with the crowd. She even admitted to knocking back a few beers. More than a few. And after about 3 of them, she wasn't sure whether it was a cup of beer or a cup of vodka.

She brought her pokémon with her to the Café. Not that her oshawott and her litwick could carry her home when she was drunk. Rather, she carried them home. And it was a bumpy ride for her pokémon. Bianca would collapse on the sidewalk, and her pokeballs would fall out of her purse. Oshawott would always get sick. So Bianca stopped taking them to Castelia. Sure, litwick would help the customers at café light their cigarettes with its trusty flame. But it wasn't like that was very important.

She bought a new electric guitar at the local shop in Nuvema. She was a frequent visitor. The shop owner knew her by name and gave her free coffee when she stopped by. She carried her new instrument home from the shop, outside of the case because she wanted to admire it as she walked home. It was bright fluorescent pink, with neon zigzags across the body.

Her father was home. He was always home. Their family had enough savings to not need any job. His job was to look after his only child. Bianca. Dinner was on the table when she arrived. It was still warm. Bianca and her father ate in relative silence. It was much quieter inside the house. At dinner, he lamented that Cheren and Bianca didn't come to visit very often anymore.

"Well, they all have jobs now, don't they?" Bianca told her father. "Just like I do." Cheren was 16, he got a job at Aspertia City. Black was 16 too. He continued his training even after winning the pokémon league, traveling all around Unova to continue training and do endorsement deals.

"What's this, Bianca dearest?"

She picked up the case on the floor. "Oh, it's an erm…my new electric guitar." She asked if he wanted to see it, but he declined.

"You know, Bianca, this is not healthy. You go to Castelia all weekend—the only reason I let you go is to improve your musical instruments. But if I knew better, perhaps I'd find you carousing and causing trouble in that squalid city."

Bianca eyes had an unusual fire to her eyes. It must have been the heat. "Daddy, I'm not a kid anymore. I don't have to ask for your permission."

"Bianca, when did you learn to sass your father like that!?"

She quickly retreated to her normal, light-hearted self. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"It's all these punk rockers at the Café Sonata that're influencing you with their rebellious nature. I think it's time you find someone to have a _healthy_ relationship with. Otherwise this will just get out of hand."

"Mmm-hmm."

Her father stumbled upon an idea. "Why don't you start dating Cheren?"

Bianca eyes widened. "Cheren!?"

"Yes. Delightful young lad. Always on top of things, very courteous. He'd be the perfect role model for you."

Bianca drank the iced water to reduce the redness on her face. "He's…he's very busy."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll find time for you. And if he doesn't…just let me know, Bianca dearie, and I'll _make it so_." He suddenly assumed a stern look.

"Well…he's rather quiet."

"Nonsense, I've seen him talk plenty of times. He can be outspoken if he wishes."

"B…but he lives in Aspertia City now, doesn't he?" She was glad she could find an excuse. "He's a gym leader now. It wouldn't be convenient for me, going in between cities." Yet she found the time to go to Castelia every week.

"Nonsense. There is a speed ferry which takes you to Aspertia in five hours. And I will pay for your transport. You could even live with him, if you wish."

Bianca scowled. "Erm…perhaps not that far, Daddy."

"But I guess you should get to know the young lad first…in an intimate fashion, I mean. I can hardly wait for you two to go on a date! I'll arrange it ASAP!~" With that, her father sauntered out of Bianca's room with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Bianca sighed. For a man, Bianca's father was remarkably feminine. He cooked well, even better then she ever did. Bianca was too clumsy to cook. Dinner was delicious, as always. He loved to call her "cutie pie," "dearest." She never really minded it in the past. The calm, soothing words of her father helped moderate the loud, boisterous shouting of Black. "I'M GOING TO WIN THE POKEMON LEAGUE! JUST YOU FUCKING WAIT!" She could always replay it in her head.

But now Black was gone. Off to bigger pastures. Something bigger than Nuvema Town, at least. Last time she called, Black was in Castelia. She thought they could meet up while she was Castelia. Just to reminisce together. But Black was busy, he had a TV appearance at this studio, and it wasn't very convenient to take the bus uptown, so they called it off. Bianca was the only one in the gang that way still in Nuvema. Then again, if she was the only one…were they even a gang anymore?

But she was happy for Black. She always wanted Black to find success. Black was screaming about winning the pokémon league in her head again. She chuckled at the dinner table. Her father asked what was the matter.

"Oh, just thinking about Black," she said.

"Oh no no no no," he said. "Much too rebellious, Bianca. No, you take my advice, he would not suit you, Bianca. Cheren is much better." She wasn't even thinking about that.

* * *

Bianca was late to her date with Cheren. She got stopped by a man on the way from the ferry stop. "Hey, are you Bianca?" he said. "Can you sign this for my daughter?" It was the first time someone ever stopped Bianca for an autograph. She didn't expect it at all. She herself didn't realize she was famous. She told Cheren, who was sitting at their reserved table looking at the menu and his watch, but he didn't believe her.

"Apparently, his daughter works in Castelia, and she's seen my concerts at Café Sonata," she said. "The man wanted my autograph to give to his daughter as a present."

Cheren didn't believe her. They went back and forth on it for a while, until Cheren finally said, "Okay, okay, I believe you." She hated that. She looked at the menu for 10 whole minutes because she couldn't bear to speak to Cheren.

Even after being brainwashed by Team Plasma, Cheren was the same old painfully courteous Cheren that he always was. It was like a sickness that had hit him, and now after Black saved the day he was all cured. He pulled back her chair for her. He paid the bill. She told him that she had made P200000 from her concert last week, but he wouldn't hear of it. In fact, whenever she brought up her concerts at Café Sonata, he wouldn't hear of it. He didn't call them "concerts." He called them "performances." And he said it in a certain tone. "Your _performances_." It sounded almost vulgar.

Cheren talked about how much Bianca had changed. The hair was the biggest difference. She had dyed it neon pink. It was only temporary. That way, her father wouldn't shave her head when she got home. She was wearing her "party outfit" only because it was the first thing she saw in her closet, and it was hot today, so the short skirt helped keep her cool. Cheren called it "rebellious." Really. He used that word. Cheren was starting to sound like her father.

Though really, Bianca didn't think she had changed very much. She was just as bratty and impetuous as she always was. She went between jobs, first as a daughter (it really was a full-time job to stop her father from sheltering her), then as a pokedex holder, then Professor Juniper's assistant, now a freelance musician. She was still a crybaby. She started whining at the restaurant when her steak was done rare instead of medium rare.

"Don't worry, Bianca. Don't worry," Cheren said. "I'll tell them to cook it little more." They brought two hard candies with the bill, and she ate both of them. Cheren took the bill.

Bianca had always been musical. As a little girl, she dreamed of playing on the big stage. But how could her dream ever be heard and supported by her friends when Black was always hollering in her ear, "I'M GOING TO WIN THE POKÉMON LEAGUE!" So she suppressed it. People rarely listened to Bianca's dreams. Until now.

Now, Bianca forced Cheren to listen. Bianca showed Cheren some videos of her last concert at Café Sonata on her phone. She picked the one with the acoustic guitar. That one wasn't as edgy.

Cheren watched the whole video—it was the polite thing to do. But she didn't compliment her guitar playing, her not-too-shabby singing, or her bright, sparkly outfit. Instead he said, "Time sure flies, doesn't it?"

Bianca was puzzled. She never even noticed that the time had flied. She was excited for the future. The weekend was coming soon. She would be going back to Castelia. Going _back_.

Cheren talked a lot about the past at dinner. Everything before the Pokémon League. Cheren didn't remember much of the Pokémon League, because of the brainwashing by Team Plasma. "I do remember one thing. The moment Black's Musha rescued me. You remember?"

Bianca wasn't there personally. "I saw it on Professor Juniper's TV. Yeah. It was wonderful."

"It seems like forever, but it must have been only a few months ago. Wow. A lot has changed since then. A lot." Cheren looked at Bianca when he said that. Almost a stare. Bianca wasn't sure whether he just took a liking to her. But no—he wasn't blushing. It was a glare. A glare of disapproval.

"You know," Bianca said, "Black just got a big endorsement deal with the Poketch company in Sinnoh." White told her the news. It was so quiet, that was the only news left that Bianca had to share.

"That's good," Cheren said. "I'm very happy for Black. If he's happy, I'm happy for him too." Cheren was satisfied with vicarious pleasures. His dream, his entire life's goal, was to help another person win the Pokémon League. He followed Black like a little lillipup. He had written it down in Black's notebook. "I will follow Black like a little lillipup to help him win the Pokémon League." Not in so many words. But close to it. It was pathetic. It really was. She almost liked Cheren better when he was brainwashed by Team Plasma. He stood up for himself then.

And after all that, Cheren said, when they were outside the restaurant, "I like your hat, Bianca. It's very pretty." It was her usual beret. He had seen it a million times. He held her hand, gave a predictable smile, and said, "I like you, Bianca. Maybe I've never expressed it before, but I hope we can get to know each other other in an _intimate_ fashion." Then he let go of her hand, and called the taxi.

It was exactly what her father had said to her earlier that week. He coached Cheren to say that. Bianca was sure of it. Cheren was painfully obedient.

* * *

White managed to get Bianca a big gig at the Café Sonata. Many top socialites of Castelia would be attending. And best of all, it was just her and her guitar. No other acts. She was the star of the show, for a whole 2 hours. Plus the after party.

She didn't tell her father about the concert. The day before she left for Castelia, she had her bright blonde hair dyed neon green for the show, which she tied up and hid under her beret so her father wouldn't see. She had also bought some flavored condoms for the after party. Bianca's father saw them. Surprisingly, he didn't comment much on them. He just thought Bianca and Cheren must have "really hit it off."

Bianca took the overnight ferry to Castelia with White. White had a filming to do in Castelia that weekend. White bought a private compartment on the ferry, which they shared.

"Much better than the second class compartment, huh?" White said.

"Yeah. I guess," Bianca said.

It was quiet for a while. "Thanks again for getting me this gig," Bianca said. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Bianca. Any time." As part of the agreement, White would get a 20% referral fee. So she was happy too.

"Are you going to bed?" Bianca asked. It was 1am. Bedtime at her father's house was a strict 10pm, since she was 13. Before that, it was 9pm.

"No, I might finish this chapter in my book first."

"Oh. Well…take your time I guess." Bianca actually didn't know White that well. It wasn't much more than a professional relationship. When it came time for business, they talked for hours and hours. But when it was just White taking off her makeup and reading her ereader before going to bed…there wasn't much to say.

The concert went wonderful. Her guitar playing was wonderful. The crowd roared and cheered for her. She went to the after party. She chatted with some of the top socialites in the Unova region. She went into the handicapped bathroom stall with Burgh and one of his male friends. She was used to headbanging—so she found it easy to give head. She used up all the flavored condoms.

She only thought about Cheren once. Iris was at the party, with her adoptive parents Drayden and Alder. Iris talked about how Cheren was brainwashed by Team Plasma at the last Pokémon League, and then she asked Bianca how Cheren was doing. Bianca was drunk, and she answered, "He's somewhere, but I don't give a fuck!"

* * *

Bianca was a star. After her last concert at Café Sonata, her fame shot up. Bianca signed a P600 million contract with Goldenrod Records to make a full album. She handed in her notice the Tuesday after receiving the news. Professor Juniper was very supportive, despite the fact she was going to lose an assistant and the workload in the lab was never busier. "I'm really excited for you, Bianca. I'll buy your album when it comes out!"

"Thanks, Professor," Bianca said. "I've already come up with an album name. 'The Colors of White.' What d'ya think? Clever, right?"

"Yeah, that is clever," she said. "Well. Best wishes to you, Bianca, as a rock star." She liked rock star better. It made her sound important. A musician could be anyone. Even a nobody. Her father kept calling her a musician. Maybe he wanted Bianca to be a nobody.

"Have you told your father yet?" Professor Juniper asked.

"No. He…Daddy wouldn't understand," she said. She was worried her father would disown her. Under the contract, she would be living in Castelia full time anyways. But she wanted to at least come back home once in a while. She already missed her father's cooking. Burgh in Castelia treated her to a feast of smoked salmon, lobster thermidor, and champagne. She liked it. But she didn't want to eat it every day.

Bianca met Cheren for dinner at the same place as the last time, at the same time of day. Her father had arranged it all. He would never admit it to her, but she was sure of it.

Bianca told Cheren the news before they even sat down. For the first half of dinner, Cheren didn't even talk about it. "That means I'm going to be working at the studio in Castelia, full time," Bianca said. "What do you think?" Cheren didn't answer her.

"But…but we're a gang, Bianca," he finally said, during dessert. "Not just the two of us. You, me, Black, we've been together since we were kids. Think about it."

"We _were_ a gang," Bianca said. She thought she would feel a pang of sadness when it came out of her mouth—but she didn't. It felt natural. "The gang's starting to come apart, Cheren. It's hard to meet up with you all. You're in Aspertia. Black travels so much, I don't know where he is half of the time."

After a brief silence, Cheren said, "You're the one pulling the gang apart, Bianca, with this impulsive streak of yours. Why're you becoming a musician!? Of all things to do…and to give up that wonderful job at the Professor's office."

"It's my life! I can do what I want! And I'm not a musician! I'm a rock star!" She felt like she was screaming to her father. Cheren almost looked like her father. Not the face. The demeanor. The stare.

Cheren put his hand over his forehead. "Bianca, you've changed so much. I…I don't even know who you are anymore."

"I'm not that different, Cheren. I'm still me." The bill came, and Bianca ate the two strawberry hard candies on the tray. She put them both in her mouth at the same time.

Bianca felt Cheren hold her hand on the table. It was cold from him holding the iced water. "Think about all the happy times we had. Not just the two of us. The whole gang. Me, you, and Black. You take this job, you're going to lose all that."

Yes, those times were happy. Bianca agreed. She remembered all the days the Cheren and Black would come over when they were little, and they would play together. Bianca would watch Cheren and Black battle with her father's pokémon in secret. They would play outside in the backyard when the flowers bloomed in the spring, and it seemed like they would giggle forever and ever.

But deep inside, Bianca always knew it was going to end. Even when she was a little girl. Black would go off and win the pokémon league someday, Cheren would go away too, and she would get a job somewhere else. And she was fine with that. In fact, when she accepted that it was going to end, she enjoyed it even more. "I'M GOING TO WIN THE POKÉMON LEAGUE! JUST YOU WAIT!" Bianca actually hated when Black screamed. It hurt her ears. But she knew it was going to end. Black would stop screaming after a minute or so. And that made it so much more bearable. Almost…pleasant, in fact.

"Maybe your father's right," Cheren said. "You do need some discipline."

"Discipline!? DISCIPLINE! I'M NOT A CHILD, CHEREN!" She screamed it like she belted the notes at her concerts. "I never asked for your approval. I've already made up my mind." She didn't pause. "It's over, Cheren."

Bianca didn't listen to Cheren after that. He scolded her a few more times, asked her a few desperate questions. It all became a blur. She grabbed her purse and walked to the door. At that moment, she felt zero regret. She was never ever going to miss him, she thought. She was going to become a musician—no, a rock star, she agreed that that was what she was going to call herself now—and she wasn't going to miss Cheren. Never ever. They hugged and kissed one last time before Bianca grabbed her purse, got into the taxi, and drove away.

Actually, that was the first time she kissed Cheren. The only time.

And as she thought about it in the taxi, actually…it was nice. It was…sweet. It was only sweet because she knew she was leaving him. Even the most unpleasant moments were pure bliss if they passed by fast enough.

* * *

END. (Let me know what you think in the comments, and hope to see y'all soon!)


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